THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION IN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN WIDOWHOOD AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Abstract Losing a spouse is one of most painful experiences in adulthood; widowed adults often suffer from psychological difficulties. Scholars have examined how social support from close relationships such as family members and friends plays a protective role in the context of spousal loss. Given that the use of mobile technologies and internet became an important way to engage with social relationships, it is crucial to investigate the role of social media communication in the bereavement process. This study examined the moderating effects of social media communication in the association between widowhood and depressive symptoms, comparing different types of social media communication—chatting/messaging (e.g., iMessage), social media (e.g., Facebook), video-sharing (e.g., YouTube), and online community platforms (e.g., forums). From the 2021 Korea Social Integration Survey, we analyzed a sample of 5,238 respondents (aged 40+) who were ever-married. Our regression models showed that widowed respondents (9.79%) were likely to have more depressive symptoms (B = 0.19, p < .001) than non-widow(er)s; all types of social media communication were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, regardless of widowhood. We also found that two types of social media communication moderated the association between widowhood and depressive symptoms; such that widowed respondents who used social media (B = -0.08. p =.002) and online community platforms (B = -0.05. p = .038) more frequently had fewer depressive symptoms, compared to their counterparts. Our findings highlight the importance of examining social engagement via information and communication technologies and the potential mechanism contributing to widowed adults’ well-being.

who used media more frequently showed an increase in the perception of social connectivity (β=.123,p<.001),and older adults with higher perception of social connectivity showed lower level of depressive symptoms (β=-.371,p<.001).In terms of the indirect effects, the perception of social connectivity had a significant mediating effect in the relationship between change in the media usage during the COVID-19 pandemic and depressive symptoms (95% CI: -0.044, -.001), as well as in the relationship between media use frequency and depressive symptoms (95% CI: -.059, -.033).The findings of the study underscore the importance of social connectivity in promoting mental health among older adults during periods of social isolation and highlight the potential benefits of media usage.

THE EFFECTS OF LATE-LIFE RELOCATION ON ANXIETY AND PERSONALITY TRAITS: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA AND EUROPE
Yang Sun 1 , Cornelia Wrzus 2 , and Shao-bo Lv 3 , 1. Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelber, Heidelberg, Germany,2. Heidelberg University,Heidelberg,Germany,3. North China University of Technology,Tangshan,Hebei,China (People's Republic) Later-life relocation has been identified as an important life event that affects the living environment, social relationships, and daily routines of older adults with subsequent effects on mental health and personality.We explored the impact of relocation on anxiety and personality traits in older adults from China and Europe in two separate studies.,In study 1, we administered the questionnaire to 301 Chinese older adults (Mage=69.51,SD=5.02) who experienced involuntary rural-urban relocation, with 61.8% of them reported severe to extremely severe anxiety.Excessive reassurance-seeking and concomitant negative information bias were processes that contributed to increased anxiety among relocated older adults, which was particularly detrimental for those adults who were otherwise resilient.In study 2, we investigated the differences in personality traits between older adults who moved to nursing homes and those who lived in private housing using data from Wave 7 of the European Health, Ageing and Retirement Survey (SHARE).Reports from a total of 4829 older people living in nursing homes (NNH= 360) and private housing (NPH=4469) were included in the finally analysis.Our results showed that older people who relocated to nursing homes had lower extraversion and conscientiousness, and higher neuroticism.Additionally, older adults' age, gender, health problems, physical activity, community size, and national socio-economic status partly explained personality differences between older adults who relocated and who stayed in their homes.Our findings underscore the importance and necessity of studying advantageous and detrimental effects of late-life relocation, and provide new directions and ideas for future research.

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION IN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN WIDOWHOOD AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS
Nahyun Kim, Youjin Kim, Hyeonji Cho, and Kyungmin Kim, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea Losing a spouse is one of most painful experiences in adulthood; widowed adults often suffer from psychological difficulties.Scholars have examined how social support from close relationships such as family members and friends plays a protective role in the context of spousal loss.Given that the use of mobile technologies and internet became an important way to engage with social relationships, it is crucial to investigate the role of social media communication in the bereavement process.This study examined the moderating effects of social media communication in the association between widowhood and depressive symptoms, comparing different types of social media communication-chatting/messaging (e.g., iMessage), social media (e.g., Facebook), video-sharing (e.g., YouTube), and online community platforms (e.g., forums).From the 2021 Korea Social Integration Survey, we analyzed a sample of 5,238 respondents (aged 40+) who were ever-married.Our regression models showed that widowed respondents (9.79%) were likely to have more depressive symptoms (B = 0.19, p < .001)than non-widow(er)s; all types of social media communication were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, regardless of widowhood.We also found that two types of social media communication moderated the association between widowhood and depressive symptoms; such that widowed respondents who used social media (B = -0.08.p =.002) and online community platforms (B = -0.05.p = .038)more frequently had fewer depressive symptoms, compared to their counterparts.Our findings highlight the importance of examining social engagement via information and communication technologies and the potential mechanism contributing to widowed adults' well-being.

WECHAT SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND DEPRESSION AMONG CHINESE OLDER ADULTS
Wan Wen 1 , and Shannon Mejia 2 , 1. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States, 2. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Chanpaign, Illinois, United States Impairments in health and mobility, the loss of a partner, and geographic relocation increase the risk of social isolation and depression in older adulthood.As the world's most populous country, China faces a rapidly aging population, and Chinese society recognizes the potential of the Internet as a measure to reduce depression and promote well-being among older adults.WeChat is the most used social media among Chinese older adults, who use it to connect with social partners and exchange information by reading and posting messages.However, previous research only identified a correlation between WeChat use and lower depressive symptoms but failed to uncover the causality between them.This paper used data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and adopted an instrumental variable (IV) and the two-stage least squares model to strengthen causal inference.The principle is using an IV, which is correlated with WeChat use but not influenced by depressive symptoms, to replace WeChat use in regression.There were 1,680 participants (mean age 73.03, 55% male), 3% of whom reported use of WeChat in the past two years.
Regression results suggested that WeChat use did not lead to lower levels of depression among older adults; instead, only non-depressed older adults would use WeChat.Further analysis showed WeChat use could promote older adults' communication with family members and social activity engagement.Although there is no solid evidence of WeChat's effect on depression, it does provide some benefits and still holds the potential to promote the well-being of older adults.